Photo by 'uncultured' / flickr

Natural disasters like cyclones and floods are a regular phenomenon in my native country Bangladesh.

As a result, the media there frequently reports on natural disasters. But working on these types of stories requires a special approach, two journalists working in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka told me.

Mustafizur Rahman is a journalist from New Age, a daily English newspaper published in Dhaka. Iftekhar Mahmud works for Prothom Alo, the leading Bengali newspaper in Bangladesh. They shared their experiences and opinions on what preparations journalists should take before and while covering a natural disaster. Mustafizur and Iftekhar say a reporter faces many challenges when going to cover an area hit by a natural disaster. Before departing to the region, a journalist should of course be sure to check his equipment. But there are other key issues to remember when writing a report on the affected area and its people.

Eyewitness reporting

Mustafizur Rahman

“Reporting on a disaster is different from general reporting, because the reporter has to personally go to the area that he wants to write about,” said Mustafizur. “You can collect information about anything by making a telephone call or by interviewing some experts. But when you are reporting about a natural catastrophe, you must see what happened there. You have to be an eyewitness of the suffering of the affected people. Your imagination will not be enough to project their suffering in your report.”

The right equipment

Following a natural disaster, the affected area often lacks everyday facilities like electricity, drinking water, etc. Sometimes the telecommunications system also breaks down. Keeping this in mind, a reporter should come prepared and carry the necessary equipment.

Iftekhar Mahmud

Iftekhar visited areas hit by two big cyclones in Bangladesh: Aila in 2009 and Sidr in 2007. He explains that he needed added preparations for reporting from these regions.

“When going to cover any area hit by a disaster, you should take first aid and medicine, enough dry food and drinking water,” he says. “For reporting, you need a recorder as well as a camera. Don’t forget your laptop and take two internet modems – in case one doesn’t work – extra batteries and a charger and multiple plugs with cables.” Iftekhar adds that it’s better to take a life jacket if you have to travel by boat.

A contact address

It’s usually necessary to stay in a disaster-hit area for a longer period in order to report accurately. In this case, it’s necessary to arrange a place where you can stay overnight. This contact address is also important for your employer so that they can contact you anytime they need or can send you anything you need.

“In this case, I always try to contact an NGO or an aid organization before I reach the affected area,” says Mustafizur, who traveled to the area hit by hurricane Aila in 2009 and has also reported from flood areas in recent years. “They help me to arrange a place where I can stay overnight.”

Necessary numbers

Covering disasters doesn’t only mean reporting the facts and the suffering of the people. A journalist should also report on the cause of the disaster, rescue efforts or any lack of aid. It’s therefore important to talk to various aid organizations, rescue forces as well as local authorities to report on the various aspects. In preparation, the reporter should make sure to pack all the necessary phone numbers and addresses of his interviewees.

Keep your cool

A reporter traveling to an area hit by a natural disaster has to be prepared to encounter disturbing images. Iftekhar recalls the shocking scenario after Aila and Sidr.

Iftekhar Mahmud

“I saw many dead bodies that were floating in the river along with the dead animals,” he says. “I almost couldn’t breathe because the air was full of stink and poison, and the condition of the people who survived was miserable. It was unimaginable. Sometimes I was exhausted from seeing all this misery.” Iftekhar, who has covered many disaster-affected areas in the past few years, recommends that a reporter has to be mentally prepared for facing any kind of a situation when covering a disaster. Without strong nerves, it is not possible to cover a natural disaster, he says.

Reporting isn’t activism

Even though a reporter is a human being, he should not forget about his professional duties. Despite the humanitarian situation, a journalist should keep looking for stories on the cause and effect of natural hazards. He himself should not engage in the relief work. Instead, the reporter should contact experts and find out about any possible negligence from the authorities – keeping in mind to relate both sides of the story.

Resources for reporters

The UN has published a handbook for journalists who cover natural catastrophes: “Disaster Through a Different Lens.” As the title suggest, this booklet focuses on disaster risk reduction. It gives tips for reporting and contains useful information on different types of natural disasters like droughts, earthquakes and hurricanes. In addition, it presents some risk-reduction lessons learnt from previous disasters like the 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines or the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan. It even lists some disaster risk reduction resource centers, publications and experts.

After a disaster has occurred, most reporters will look for follow-up stories. According to the book, you can find angles for such stories if you

1. investigate the lack of early warning,

2. probe the lack of urban planning, and

3. question the preparedness of those responsible in the disaster management department of the authorities.

Another good source of information about disaster preparedness is the booklet “Disaster Programme Information and Reporting,” published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. You can download it for free. Among other things, it explains how journalists can collect data in the disaster-hit area.

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has also published a manual that can come in handy for reporters. It’s called “Disaster and Crisis Coverage” and is also available for free as a pdf download.

Training on disaster management

Different branches of the Red Cross and Red Crescent offer training programs and workshops on disasters, in which reporters can participate.

There are also many public and private organizations and institutes in Asia who offer different training courses on disaster management. The Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) provides different workshops on disaster management for journalists, which help reporters understand various aspects of a disaster.

There are also training programs offered by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Here is a list of upcoming training programs, which include training on disaster management and the role of the media.

In India, there are many institutes that offer disaster management courses. Follow this link to find the names of the institutes from every state of India.

Author: Riazul Islam

Riazul Islam is a student enrolled in the International Media Studies program at DW Akademie. Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, he started working there as a reporter eight years ago. He has worked for different newspapers and radio stations, including DW’s Bengali service.

Radio Nepal news editor Shyam Rai writes that the Nepali media covered the disaster in Japan from the very beginning. The first reason for this is that the incident itself was huge and newsworthy.

The second reason is that sometimes even small incidents taking place in Japan (which might not get space in other countries’ media) are reported by Nepali media because Japan is one of Nepal’s major donor countries and contributes greatly to its development.

At first the media focused primarily on casualties and losses caused by the earthquake and tsunami. Some broadsheet newspapers and radio stations carried the incident on the front page and as a top story respectively whereas some included it in their international segments.

All of them focused on casualties and the destruction followed by damages caused to the nuclear reactors in Fukushima.

Local media rely on international networks

Over the following few days, the media still filed news reports with focus on casualties followed by rescue efforts, the fate of Nepalese living there, etc. Almost all the print media published the photos of devastation. Gradually the news focus shifted to the nuclear catastrophe (efforts being carried out to stop the nuclear reactor from explosion and radiation leakage) and the effects of radiation (food and vegetables being contaminated).

Rai writes, “I am sure that their focus synchronized with the focus of international media like BBC, DW, CNN and Kyodo in this particular case because none of the media houses has correspondents based in Japan. Only few of them had contact with Nepalese migrant workers there and quoted them in the news solely about their conditions and safety.”

On the part of the audience, only few people in urban areas are following the event on the Internet. The majority of people relies on local media. 

Rai says that, “If we talk as to what part of the events unfolding in Japan touches the people in Nepal the most is, no doubt, the damage caused by the earthquake because Nepal is in highly earthquake-prone zone."

"Some experts say if an earthquake of equal magnitude that hit Japan happens to rock this country, there would be overwhelming damage. They say 90 percent of houses would collapse thereby killing thousands of people because houses in Nepal have not met safety measures. They warn that the country has no capacity to cope with such a disaster. They also claim that hospital, army and police buildings would collapse, which means people would surely die in the absence of rescue following the disaster.”

Former DW-AKADEMIE trainee Rai reports that many people in Nepal are generally not well-informed about nuclear catastrophe and tsunamis. “Ours is a land-locked country and as a result we haven’t experienced any effects of a tsunami and we do not have any nuclear reactors for power generation. We have only hydroelectricity.” Due to this, he says, the Nepalese media focused primarily on the earthquake as opposed to Japan's other two related disasters.

By Permadi Kencono Wulan

From Indonesia former DW-AKADEMIE trainee Permadi Kencono Wulan writes that almost all of the country’s media have been covering the events in Japan from the moments they began. Focus has been on memories of the tsunami that happened in Indonesia, the strength and fortitude of the Japanese people, the impact of the damaged nuclear reactors and on Indonesian eyewitnesses who had been living in Japan, alongside interviews with celebrities who have lived there.

News also stirred about Japanese adult film star Miyabi who had gone missing after the tsunami. Much news space in Indonesia was devoted to coverage of the evacuation and the impact of the nuclear reactors at Fukushima.

The impact of an exploding nuclear reactor

Permadi, who is head of new media at RRI Indonesia, highlighted early reports by Indonesia’s Metro TV on the impact of a nuclear reactor that exploded and the possibility of radiation. It communicated how this concerns the world community at large and Indonesia in particular because of the effects of radiation that might spread due to wind, sea water, birds and migrating fish.

Although the network noted the speculative nature of such assumptions they were enough to provoke comments on Facebook and Twitter by people worried about radiation.

The public response also impacted debate about government plans to build nuclear power plants in Indonesia. A growing majority of the people reject this development because it fears unforeseen consequences similar to those in Japan.

Living testimony to the tsunami in Sendai, Japan

An Indonesian television broadcaster featured an interview with an Indonesian worker living in the city of Sendai who immediately upon hearing the news of the earthquake rushed 22 kilometers to an apartment where her son was located. She was very worried about her son, who fortunately survived and was immediately brought to safety. Yet the interview partner gave touching testimony about the loss she felt as a teacher and the memories of the elementary school children she instructed, also expressing concern for friends thought to be lost and to date could not be contacted. Many scattered from offices and workplaces when the earthquake hit and have not been heard from since.

Adult film star Maria “Myabi” Ozawa lost post-tsunami

Permadi writes that in the Indonesian coverage of the Japan quake and tsunami focus was also on the fate of actress Maria Ozawa, also known as Miyabi, whose whereabouts were unknown after the multiple disasters. An Indonesian film producer who worked with Miyabi was still unable to contact her.

“I haven’t been able to contact her management,” said Ody Mulya, producer at Maxima Pictures, “I continue to SMS. To be honest I was very worried.” The 25-year-old actress had been contracted to perform in two new Maxima films. She was scheduled to be filming this summer “so I’ve been praying a lot and hope nothing has happened to Miyabi,” Ody said.

Excerpts from public opinion

Permadi filed the following excerpts of public opinion:

“Again, we can learn from this incident. Even if [Indonesia remains] fixed on the desire to build a nuclear reactor, surely it must to choose the safest place from disasters, especially earthquakes. There is a variety of economic considerations, but one must also consider where the waste will be disposed.”

“Japanese society is considered a culture of discipline where honesty is high. This was reflected in the way they faced disaster.”

“The earthquake did not shake Japanese discipline. They're still lining up in an orderly manner to obtain the quake aid rations. Prices in Tokyo are still stable, unlike the experience of the earthquake in Yogyakarta in 2006 when the price of a box of instant noodles increased three-fold.”

Posted on Facebook:

“[We can] learn from Japan as a country that is located along tectonic plates.  Indonesia is also at high risk for earthquakes, and if the country continues to build a nuclear reactor center, then there is a massive threat to people’s lives. Imagine what would have happened had there been a nuclear reactor in Aceh when the earthquake and tsunami happened. We should certainly be innovative, but have to be smart. So REJECT NUCLEAR.”

– Eko Wahyuanto, journalist, News Centre RRI

“We must learn from the community and the Japanese government in dealing with earthquake and tsunami disasters.”

– Putra sang Fajar, journalist, RRI Bogor

Contributed by Permadi Kencono Wulan

Photo credits:

screenshot Metro TV "Earthquake and Tsunami Japan" by Permadi Kencono Wulan

Miyabi filming 'Land of Ghosts Driver' courtesy of Maxima Pictures

By Raksmey Meas

Raksmey Meas, assistant lecturer at the Department of Media and Communication at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, reports that Japan’s catastrophe involving the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunami has yet again taken center stage in the world media’s attention.

Particularly in Cambodia, news related to Japan and its disaster racked up on front pages for more than a week following the initial shock on March 11^th.

Regarding the focus of Cambodian media on this tragedy, news angles seem to be anything on the updates of the situation – death toll, possible nuclear explosion and rescue efforts, etc.

Cambodian issues still more pressing

Despite appearing regularly on news pages and programs, it is apparent that Cambodian media do not treat this tragedy as anything more than one nation’s disaster. This may be due to the on-going affair that Cambodia is having with Thailand over the border dispute, says Raksmey.

Social media for world events

“However, there are those who take the stories to heart. These often are younger people with more active participation in any kind of national and world event. They use new media and its applications to retrieve news and spread messages on Japan’s events.

Facebook is yet again the tool of choice for these people to express their condolences and call for support for Japan. There are also those who use Twitter to get updates of the event from major newspaper and media outlets."

“With news related to Japan appearing every day,” says Raksmey, “Cambodian media have been showing their interest and effort to report more on world events despite their apparent challenges in both skills and resources."

Photo credits: Raksmey Meas

By Taufique Ahmed, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is shocked by what has happened in Japan. People here have closely followed the news to get the latest updates from newspapers, TV, radio and online. 

It’s very tough for the media to handle what’s happening in Japan, as there is also another big issue that the people of Bangladesh worry about very much. Many people here are still taken aback by the latest events in Libya, because many Bangladeshis live and work there and have now become victims of the uprising in this North African country.

Japan's tsunami and earthquake are still important news in Bangladesh, as this country is also one of the sufferers of climate change. Nonetheless, Japan's nuclear crisis is also getting attention in the newspapers and at TV and radio stations here as the situation worsens.

Audiences wanted more than radio and TV could deliver

Government-owned radio and TV treated the triangle of disaster, i.e. earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe, in a diplomatic way. They were not doing any in-depth reporting asking why Japan was actually facing this disaster. They only covered the consequences in Japan that seemed unusual. Most of the people didn’t follow these stations.

TV stations couldn’t properly cover the disaster relief efforts in Japan – news on food, shelter and medication for the survivors of the disaster. Instead, viewers were always taken to the story of how the nuclear reactor burst. But that wasn’t what the audience wanted. Almost everyone was trying to find out how the survivors were actually getting through this tough time. 

Radios didn’t play that much of a role in this completely traumatic situation. They were only covering regular news without any breaking news updates. But whenever they did, it was all about the nuclear crisis or radiation leaks and about the death toll.

Newspapers do in-depth reporting

Bangladesh's newspapers, however, brought some insight about the disaster in Japan. They ran some probing articles, interviewed environment specialists, and presented the history of earthquakes in Japan.

The newspapers gave the tsunami more attention than the electronic media. They also asked the question how Bangladesh could tackle such a big disaster – what if Bangladesh was in place of Japan? People liked these kinds of articles more than what was actually happening at the reactors.  

In Bangladesh, newspapers principally rule the media. People all across the country devote most of their time to reading the papers.

As Bangladesh is vulnerable to earthquakes and other natural disasters, newspapers ran big stories about the earthquake, pointing out particulars of such a disaster.

Nevertheless, there still are not many stories on rescue efforts, even though people would like to hear more from survivors and how they experienced everything.

The people of Bangladesh were always checking the numbers of casualties and homeless people. They were really shocked and left condolence messages in newspapers or called different news offices to know more about the number of people who died.
People got very anxious seeing the pictures on TV of the tsunami waves crushing the city of Sendai.

Beside the local media, they particularly followed the live footage on BBC and CNN; on the other hand, journalists and a particular group who consume online media, stayed updated via mobile and the web. 

The crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant takes center stage

The nuclear issue became stronger in Bangladeshi newspapers as the story developed. Graphic images of the reactors showing what actually happened made the people more curious. Even in the tea-stalls, people shared their views on such a critical issue, which they did not even know about before seeing those images.    

Right now, all the news media are trying to focus on how Japan will actually recover from this great loss, as people are very much eager to know more about Japan’s future.

Photo credits:

People reading news pasted on wall in Old Dhaka by flickr / Sandy & Alan , courtesy of Creative Commons license

"Dhaka Daily News" by flickr / joiseyshowaa, courtesy of Creative Commons license